Cartoon characters

Vintage lithographed tin boxes with images of cartoon characters, which are part of a huge collection, are displayed at the house of Yvette Dardenne, 75, from Belgium in Grand-Hallet, eastern Belgium August 5, 2013. Dardenne, who currently possesses about 56,800 boxes from around the world, said her passion started 22 years ago when her aunt gave her a decorated chocolate box from the late 1950s. According to Dardenne, the boxes are like a history book, describing the major events of the last two centuries. In addition to commercials advertising the products they contain, the boxes are often decorated with pictures typical of a certain historic era or describing a historic event such as a royal wedding. Some were also designed to serve as toys or later used for other purposes such as serving as a paper weight. The boxes displayed contained all kind of products such as biscuits, soap, tobacco, tea, and medicine.

Vintage lithographed tin boxes with images of cartoon characters, which are part of a huge collection, are displayed at the house of Yvette Dardenne, 75, from Belgium in Grand-Hallet, eastern Belgium August 5, 2013. Dardenne, who currently possesses about 56,800 boxes from around the world, said her passion started 22 years ago when her aunt gave her a decorated chocolate box from the late 1950s. According to Dardenne, the boxes are like a history book, describing the major events of the last two centuries. In addition to commercials advertising the products they contain, the boxes are often decorated with pictures typical of a certain historic era or describing a historic event such as a royal wedding. Some were also designed to serve as toys or later used for other purposes such as serving as a paper weight. The boxes displayed contained all kind of products such as biscuits, soap, tobacco, tea, and medicine. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

Vintage lithographed tin boxes with images of cartoon characters, which are part of a huge collection, are displayed at the house of Yvette Dardenne, 75, from Belgium in Grand-Hallet, eastern Belgium August 5, 2013. Dardenne, who currently possesses about 56,800 boxes from around the world, said her passion started 22 years ago when her aunt gave her a decorated chocolate box from the late 1950s. According to Dardenne, the boxes are like a history book, describing the major events of the last two centuries. In addition to commercials advertising the products they contain, the boxes are often decorated with pictures typical of a certain historic era or describing a historic event such as a royal wedding. Some were also designed to serve as toys or later used for other purposes such as serving as a paper weight. The boxes displayed contained all kind of products such as biscuits, soap, tobacco, tea, and medicine.Yves Herman/Reuters